Object: Wagon Wheel
Medium: Horse Chesnut with iron tire.
Creator: Unknown
Date of manufacture: Not Long before T.A. 3001
Place of creation: Unknown, presumed Bree
Artifact Number: M-h 305
Collection: Permanent in the Exhibition on Shire History, Culture and Lifeways
Source: Donated by the estate of Mr. Deriburr Took
Although the design is not consistent with Shire-folk wainwright’s approach to wagon wheels, this artifact is exemplary in its advanced craftsmanship as evidenced by the hub’s sturdy construction. This wheel was likely used in the late Bilbo Baggin’s 111st birthday, although the particulars of its history are lost with the memory of Deriburr Took.
Image Copyright Information: The free high-resolution photo of a wagon wheel was taken by Else Margriet with a DC-TZ90. Date: ca. 11/19 2018 The picture taken with 18.0mm, f/5.0s, 10/800s, ISO 250.
The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0
History: Likely constructed by human wainwright’s in Bree, this wagon wheel was part of a pair fixed to a Third Age wagon. The wheel’s partner has not been found to date.Recent interest in this artifact by museum curator Rose Took has revealed some faded reddish markings of runes on the upper half of the wheel’s hub which have been transcribed as G and a yet undeciphered elven character. This discovery has brought to memory the fireworks used in the late master of Bag End, Bilbo Baggin’s 111st birthday. If this is true, this fixes the artifact’s date of construction shortly prior to T.A. 3001, although an exact estimation of the date of construction is not possible. Bilbo’s close connection to Gandalf the Grey has led many to consider that this wheel was historically fixed to his wagon which was responsible for bringing in one of the most significant moments in Third Age Hobbit history. Its transfer to the possession of Deriburr Took likely took place shortly after Gandalf’s departure from the Shire with many of the other artifacts in the Mathom House from the distribution of Bag End’s wealth by the Sackville-Baggins clan. Deriburr Took held it in his possession for many years, often using it as a fixture for his barrow and as such much of the original craftsmanship has eroded with time. When Mr. Took retired from farming, his fascination with the artifact encouraged him to place it in his home as the undercarriage of his dining room table. Many of the markings on the outer wheel were caused by prolonged use during dinner parties by Mr. Took’s large family. At his death, Mr. Took’s estate was reorganized by the community and placed into the Mathom House for its preservation and protection.
Cultural Significance: Traditionally used in the maneuver of wagons through the Shire’s many hills and valleys, wagon wheels such as this were a common sight at the end of the Third Age. Due to the agrarian demands of Third Age Shire-folk society, wagon wheels were needed for a variety of uses beyond the fixture to wagons. While this wheel exemplifies advanced craftsmanship, wheels of similar kinds were made of ash, oak, and birch in the many wainwright workshops between Hobbiton and Bree. The giveaway for its attribution to Bree-folk construction is the advanced processes used to fabricate the wagon wheel’s hub, a process which was undiscovered by Hobbit wainwright’s until 4 F.A. Many modern wainwright’s have recently begun to explore manufacturing processes throughout Middle Earth in an attempt to break from the isolationist Hobbit attitudes of the Third Age.